Rib extractor with a steerable drilling head structure



R'IB Ex'rmkc'roli WITH A S'TEBRABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July '11. 1966 I Sheet of 10 mvzmoa: ARTHUR L. BARRETT a" I z ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1969 I v A. L. BARRETT 3,421,796

RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Sheet 2 of 10 Filed July 11, l966 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR L. BARRETT ATTORNEY A. L. BARRETT Jan. 14, 1969 l RIB EXTRACIOR W A L Filed July 11, 1966 Sheet OOOOOO NNN T MT 3 3 .M W MN R WA 0 m L l il.

3 o E R 4 Q U \\\Q% N\ R A ATTORNEY Jan. 1 1969 A. L. BARRETT 3,421,796

RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11. 1966 Sheet 4 of 10 FIG. 5.

mvamoa: ARTHUR L. BARRETT BY I ATTORNEY Sheet 5. of 10 Jan. 14, 1969 A. L. BARRETT RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1956 mmvroa ARTHUR L. BARRETT ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1969 A. 1.. BARRETT RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1966 Sheet INVENTOR:

ARTHUR L. BARRETT ATTORNEY km 4 1969 A. L. BARRETT 3,421,796

RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1966 Sheet 7 of 10 FIG. 10. 62

INVENTOR: B ARTHUR L. BARRETT ATTORNEY vJam- 1 1969 A. L. BARRETT 3,421,796

RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1966 Sheet 6 of 10 FIG. 12.

INVENTOR= ARTHUR L. BARRETT ATTORNEY RESOLVER OSCILLO'SCOPE CONTROL PANEL Sheet AMPLIFIER -l83' AMPLIFIER III up] A. 1.. BARRETT .RIB EXTRAGTOR-V-IITi-i A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1966 FIG. I6.

@AL GENERATOR TRANSDUCER FIG. I?

DISPLAY INVERNTORI I IARTHUR 1.. BARRETT Y f AGENT w A I M. 3 M 5 m M T M F. A w W mm 1 VII/ 42 237 248 ANTENNIQH AMPLTF@ Jan. 14, 1969 A. L. BARRETT 3,421,796

RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Filed July 11, 1966 Sheet 9 of 10 FIG. 15.

FIG. 14.

, INVENTOR= ARTHUR L. BARRETT ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,421,796 Patented Jan. 14, 1969 3,421,796 RIB EXTRACTOR WITH A STEERABLE DRILLING HEAD STRUCTURE Arthur L. Barrett, 2928 Lothair Way, Long Beach, Michigan City, Ind. 46360 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 202,642,

June 11, 1962. This application July 11, 1966, Ser. No. 570,109 US. Cl. 29959 8 Claims Int. Cl. E21c 1/02; E2'1c 5/00; E21c 37/04 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 202,642 filed June 11, 1962 (now abandoned) which is in turn a continuation-in-part of my earlier application Ser. No. 751,316 filed June 28, 1958.

This invention relates to a mining machine and more particularly to means for guiding the advance of an auger drilling head structure from a mining machine base.

Mining machines have been developed wherein a machine base may be positioned at a mineral vein on a hillside, at the side of a strip mining cut or at a wall or mineral rib within a mine excavation for the advance therefrom of an anger drilling head structure into the mineral. Also to some extent auger drilling head type machines have been used in underground mining. Although these machines have generally been successful they have presented a problem of drilling head wander as the head structure is advanced deeper and deeper into the mineral.

It is therefore a major object of the present invention to provide an improved mining machine having improved steering means for guiding the advance of an anger head structure from a mining machine base.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved steering guide means for an auger drill head structure utilizing steering wedge means reacting between auger drill head means and a drill head support and guide frame which advances with the auger drill head.

A further object is to provide improved power control means for positioning steering Wedges for vertical as well as horizontal steering corrections.

A still further object is to provide an improved linkage means permitting vertical or horizontal steering adjustment by selective use of multiple power units which are common actuators for both steering control axes.

Another object is to provide improved skid means for a drilling head frame support with power controlled skid angle positioning means for controlled correction of drilling head structure tilting.

Another object is to provide an improved positioning of circumferential edge drilling head teeth so as to cut enough clearance for any steering corrective shifting of the auger 'drill head structure as it continues to advance.

A further object is to provide an improved mining machine base having improved walking means for base positioning and equipped with a frame carrying motive power units and shaft extension segments in a rack with means for connecting successively drive shaft segments in the drive shafting from the machine base to the drill head structure as the latter is advanced.

Another object is to provide improved hydraulic feed cylinder means mounted on the walking base of the machine to supply advancing force through the shafting to the boring head structure during the mineral boring operations.

Another object is to provide an improved boring head structure having two parallel boring heads driven by a pair of motors mounted on the machine base through parallel shafting with the boring heads arranged to drill overlapping side by side parallel bores.

A further object is to provide an improved shaker cutter driven by cam means which rotates with a boring head to give a shaking action to the cutter means effective to cut the bottom cusp between parallel overlapping boring heads as the boring head structure and the shaker cutter are advanced.

A still further object is to provide for the bottom cusp cutter means an improved apron so shaped that the shaking action of the cutter means and apron is effective to move dislodged mineral to the center of the borebottoms immediately behind the cusp cutter means,

Another object is to provide an improved slusher type mineral moving means for conveying mineral from the boring head structure rearwardly beneath the mining machine base.

A specific object of this invention is to provide an improved mining machine having remotely controlled steerable auger heads provided with sensing means to continuously determine the position of the auger heads with respect to earth strata above and below a mineral vein in which the auger heads are working and having remote indicating means connected therewith to display positional information.

Another specific object of this invention is to provide a new and improved mining machine having auger heads mounted upon a remotely controlled, steerable auger head frame which frame is provided with sensing means to continuously determine the location of bores produced by the auger heads with respect to earth strata above and below a mineral vein in which the auger heads are working, and also with respect to a bore in the mineral vein produced by a previous pass of the auger head, such sensing means being connected to remote indicating means to display information regarding the bore location.

A further specific object of this invention is to provide an improved mining machine such as that hereinabove described in which the aforesaid sensing means is responsive to material deposited in a bore in the mineral vein produced during a previous pass of the auger heads.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description and appended claims when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my improved mining machine showing the mining machine base and frame from which drill heads are advanced with the drill heads in the retracted starting position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the same mining machine and with the drill heads in the same position as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view looking toward the cutting face of the drill head structure of the same mining machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4a and 4b, taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, show the mining machine of FIGS. 1 through 3 partially cut away and sectioned with the drilling head structure advanced from the base into mineral and illustrates detail of a cam driven shaker cusp cutting means and slusher mineral converying means for conveying dislodged material from the boring head structure rearwardly beneath the mining machine base;

FIG. 5 illustates a hydraulic system, partially sectioned, used for walking of the mining machine base and advancing the drive shafts to the drill heads and the drill head structures and cusp cutter apron detail;

FIG. 6 illustrates means, partially sectioned, for supporting and driving an extensible drive shaft for a drill head;

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 taken along line 88 of FIG. 7 illustrate a drill head drive shaft drive means detail;

FIG. 9 illustrates, partially cut away the wedge steering means for controlled positioning of the drilling heads relative to the drill head frame skid equipped supporting structure and cooperative linkage and power control means for the steering control wedges;

FIG. 10 is a front view of the boring head support structure, in section on line 1010 of FIG. 4b with the boring heads removed, illustrating the steering wedge control structure, shaker cusp cutter detail and skid guide means for the drill head support structure within the bore opening;

FIG. 11 is a cutaway and sectional view, taken on line 1111 of FIG. 1 primarily through the drill head supporting structure, illustrating steering wedge power control and linkage detail and shaker cusp cutter cam drive detail;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating the electric wiring which extends through a conduit from a control panel on the base to hydraulic valve means in a complete hydraulic system self-contained within the drill head supporting structure for the control of the starting wedge power control means and for the control via hydraulic power cylinders of the angle of drill head tilt control skids;

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 illustrate various detail features of variable angle drill head tilt control skids;

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of a bore location sensing device and a remotely located indicating means together with subsidiary apparatus and electrical connections therefor;

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view partly in section of an auger head support frame constructed according to the principles of this invention having bore location sensing means thereon, and

FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of a location sensing means connected to a remotely located bore location indicating means.

In my improved mining machine 10, shown in various attitudes in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4a and 4b, a machine base 12 is shown to be supported interchangeably at each of four corners by one hydraulically extensible and retractable jack 14 and one rigid post 16, each equipped with ground engaging shoe pads 18. A horizontally disposed hydraulic power means 20 is operatively connected to the machine base 12 and to a front rail 22 which is transversely slidable in frame guide means 24 of the base 12 and which mounts both front posts 16. Similarly, a horizontally disposed hydraulic power means 20' is connected to the base 12 and a rear rail 22 which is transversely slidable in frame means 24' and which mounts both rear posts 16.

The hydraulic system 26 shown in FIG. 5 has a fluid supply tank 28, motor 30, pump 32, control valve box 34 and piping for various functions all carried by the machine base 12. Appropriate controlled extension and retraction of jacks 14 and of hydraulic power means 20 and 20' in suitable sequence and degree of actuation is effective to walk the machine transversely from side to side and even turn the machine base 12 as desired.

Boring head structure is connected to the base 12, advanced therefrom and retracted thereto by drive shafting 42. Storage rack 44 is provided in the base 12 for storage of shaft extension units 46 which are taken therefrom and positioned for connection in drive shafting 42, as the boring head structure 40 is advanced, by elevator conveying means 48. Elevator means 48 also removes shaft extension units 46 to the storage rack 44 as the boring head structure 40 is being retracted relative to the base 12.

A drive motor 50 is provided for rotatably driving each of two drive shaft units 52 and 54 which comprise drive shafting 42 for two parallel counter-rotating boring heads 56 and 58 equipped with mineral boring teeth 59 in the boring head structure 40. Each motor 50 has a drive output gear train including (as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8) bevel gearing 60 within gear casing 62 and worm 64 within a gear casing 66 with worm gear 68 which, in turn, slidably nonrotatably engages the multi-sided 70 drive shafting 42 of respectively drive shaft 52 and drive shaft 54.

Although the boring heads 56 and 58 are shown as arm type boring heads, the use of any mineral attacking and disintegrating means'such as hollow, cylindrical boring heads or helically flighted auger type boring heads is contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.

Carriage frame structure is supported for back and forward movement along guide means of the base 12 as controlled in forward movement and return movement by base 12 side mounted parallel double acting power cylinders 82. Forward movement of carriage 80 is effective to advance the drive shafting 42 and the boring head structure 40 and, in addition, a boring head support skid equipped guide frame structure 84 hereinafter described. Retractive movement of carriage frame structure 80 by power cylinders 82 as controlled by the control valve box 34 is etfective to, in turn, retract the boring head structure 40 and the boring head support and guide frame structure 84, unless pins 86 connecting the carriage frame 80 are removed, in which case the carriage is returned to provide for insertion of additional shaft extension units 46 for drive shafting 42 and the continued advance of shafting 42 through fixed worm gears 68.

Boring head support and guide frame structure 84 is fixed in closely spaced relation behind boring heads 56 and 58 of boring head structure 40 (as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4b, 6 and 11) by inner races 90 of bearing assemblies 92 on shafts 52 and 54. The outer races 94 of bearing assemblies 92 are equipped with inwardly directed wedge guide extensions 96 which have oppositely directed wedge guide surfaces 98 (see FIG. 9). Outer race members 94 are rigidly connected together by upper and lower wedge bridge members 100 and 102 respectively, which have oppositely directed wedge guide surfaces 104 and 106 respectively.

Axially movable side wedge control members 108 have oppositely directed wedge guide surfaces 110 which engage respective Wedge guide surfaces 98 of Wedge guide extensions 96. Axially movable upper and lower wedge control members 112 and 114 have respectively oppositely directed wedge guide surfaces 116 and 118 which engage wedge guide surfaces 104 and 106 respectively.

Side wedge control members 108 and upper and lower wedge control members 112 and 114 are supported and guided by four support frame members 120 which extend between and are fastened to a front plate 122 and rear plate 124 of boring head support and guide frame structure 84. Wedge control members 108 and 112 and 114 further mutually guide and support each other by side sliding contact 125 as shown. Front plate 122 is in slidable abutment with forward surfaces 126 of bearing outer races 94, and rear plate 124 is in slidable abutment with rear surfaces 128 of bearing outer races 94.

Elements of webbing 130 extend between and connect front plate 122 and rear plate 124 for upper bore following and bore head guide skids 132. Webbing 130 is also provided between front and rear plates 122 and 124 for lower power controlled power cylinder 134 equipped direction correcting lower skids 136. A complete hydraulic system 138 (see FIG. 12) equipped with a fluid supply tank 140, pump 142, electric drive motor 144, hydraulic accumulator and relief valve 146, by electrically actuated control valve box 148 and hydraulic piping 150, is contained within boring head support and guide frame structure 84 for the control of power cylinders 134 and the slope of lower skids 136 individually or together, as desired. Referring also in FIGS. 13 and 14 and 15, the output rod 135 of each power cylinders 134 projects through a guide opening 137 in the respective skid mount pad 139 for operative engagement with a groove 141 in a skid 136. Each skid 136 pivots about circular portion 143 on the front of the respective skid mount pad 139 and has a tongue and groove relation 145 with webbing 130 above the skid mount pad 139 to prevent transverse movement of skids 136.

Selective activation of the power cylinders 134 to extend or retract either of the skids 136 is used to control tilt (transverse inclination of the plane in which the axes of the boring heads 56 and 58 lie) in relation to the machine base 12.

Valves of control valve box 148 are also provided for the operation of double acting power cylinders 152 in various combinations of actuated cylinders, for cylinder casing 154 travel of selected cylinders 152 relative to respective pistons 156 and piston rods 158 which extend through and are fastened to respective front and rear plates 122 and 124. Cylinder casings 154 are supported and guided by curved inner surfaces 159 of respective support frame members 120 (see FIG. 9). Electric circuitry 155 for electric power to motor 144 and for controlling valves of electrical actuated valve control box 148 pass through a cable 157 which extends from a resiliently tensioned cable drum 161 on machine base 12 to boring head supports and guide frame structure 84. A suitable line connection 160 is provided from control panel 162 to the cable drum 161 for cable 157.

Actuation of double acting power cylinders 152 may be controlled to shift side wedge control members 108 for lateral movement of bearing assemblies 92 and shafts 52 and 54 and the boring head structure 40 relative to boring head support and guide frame structure 84. These power cylinders 152 may also be controlled for shifting upper wedge control member 112 and lower wedge control member 114 for controlled respective up or down corrective steering movement of bearing assemblies 92 and the boring head structure 40 relative to guide frame structure 84. The outermost of boring head teeth 59 provide sufficient overcut in the mineral being bored to allow the space for corrective steering movement of boring head structure 40.

Each casing 154 of four double acting power cylinders 152 is provided with a pivot pin 164 for pivotal connection with the respective horizontally extending upper or lower cross linkage structure 166 and a pivot pin 168 for pivotal connection with the respective one of two vertically extending cross linkage structures 166'. Cross linkage structures 166 and 166' have a central element 170 which is pivotally mounted 172 on a pivot post 174, each of which projects inwardly from the respective wedge control members 108, 112 and 114. End projections 175 from, each central element 170 are slidingly received in openings 176 of respective end cap members 178. Each end cap member 178 is pivotally mounted on a respective pivot pin 164 or respective pivot pin 168. When it is desired to shift bearing assemblies 92 in the boring head structure 40 for a steering correction relative to guide frame structure 84, two of the four power cylinders 152 are actuated for movement in one direction, and the other two are actuated as a pair for movement in the opposite direction. This is effective to move the cooperating pair of side wedge control members 108 or, for that matter, if

desired for vertical correction upper wedge control member 112 and lower wedge control member 114 in opposite directions, one forward and one back, to accomplish by cooperative wedge action with the respective mating pair of wedge guide surfaces 98 or 104 and'106 wedge force corrective steering movement of the boring head structure 40 from support and guide frame structure 84. When this is done, coss linkage members 166 or 166', as the case may be, pivot about and extend in length to permit the relative displarement forward and barkward of a pair of wedge control members 108 or 112 and 114 without moving the other pair of wedge lontrol membes 112 and 114 or 108 respectively.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4b, 5, 10 and 11, the shaker cusp cutter 190 is provided for cutting the bottom mineral cusp between overlapping bore heads 56 and 58. The cam 192 for driving the cusp cutter is mounted on the back of boring head 58 for rotation therewith. Cam 192 is engaged by roller following means 194 mounted on a rod 196 which projects forward through the boring head wedge steering control means of guide frame structure 84 from the guide frame 198 mounted on the rear of back plate 124 of guide frame structure 84, which is provided, in turn, as shown in FIG. 4b, with a spring return 200 for urging the rod 196 and roller to follow in reciprocating movement the surface of cam 192 during rotation thereof. A downwardly depending frame structure 202 extends from rod 196 to the cusp cutter 190 which has a forward cusp cutting toothed edge 204 and a metal apron 206 with upwardly curved sides 208 and, as best seen in FIG. 5, a largely cutaway indentation 210. This apron 206 configuration is effective with the shaking action of the cusp cutter 190 to centralize mineral dislodged by boring head structure 40 and mineral cut by the forward cusp cutting toothed edge 204. This piles the material to the rear of the cusp cutter 190 ideally for a slusher conveying system 220.

Detail of the slusher conveying system 220 is best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4a and 4b. Slusher bucket 222 has a pull cable 224 which is fastened to arm 226 of the slusher bucket 222 which extends to cable winch structure 228 which may be operated by controls on base 12 to pull the slusher bucket 222 and mineral from cusp cutter 190 to beneath machine base 12. There is a slusher bucket return cable 230 which extends to and around a cable pulley 232 which is mounted on guide frame structure 84 above cusp cutter 190. Slusher bucket return cable 230 extends on from pulley 232 to a connection 234 with the rear of slusher bucket 222 in order that the bucket may be returned to cusp cutter 190 as desired for successive loads of mineral. Win-ch structure 228 has cable reels (not shown in detail) for pull and return cables 224 and 230 respectively, which are suitably tensioned and controlled for slusher bucket mineral conveying and return and for the extension of cables 224 and 230 suitable for any advanced position of boring head structure 40 and the boring head support and guide frame structure 84.

In FIG. 16 there is shown a strata indicator or location sensing device similar to that described and claimed in US. Patent No. 2,620,386 and comprising a special boring tooth 59 resiliently mounted on the boring arm 58 in contact with an electrical transducer electrically connected to a pair of slip rings 181 rigidly secured upon and coaxial with the drive shaft 42 but electrically insulated therefrom. The slip rings 181 contacted by a pair of brushes 181', respectively, are electrically connected through a battery 182 with an amplifier 183 which is, in turn, connected through a signal resolver 184 to an indicating device 185 such as a cathode-ray oscilloscope or the like. A signal generator 186 driven by the shaft 42 through suitable bevelled gears 187 having a ratio of 1 to 1 is electrically connected through a second amplifier 183' with the resolver 184- and furnishes a signal synchronized with the rotation of the boring head 58. The synchronized signal is combined in the resolver 184 with a variable signal from the transducer 179 to give a visual indication, on the oscilloscope, of the type and condition of material being cut by the special tooth 59 as described in the above mentioned US. patent. Such visual indication can be interpreted to give information as to the location of the boring head 58 within a trnineral vein 235 best seen in FIG. 17, such as a vein of coal bounded on its upper side by layers of rock 236 and at its lower surface by rock strata 237 the roof and floor, respectively, of this mineral vein. It is to be appreciated that the equipment of FIG. 16 shown in relation to boring head 58 is duplicated for boring head 56 on the other side of the machine 12 so that visual indication of the kind and condition of material being cut by either arm is displayed on its respective oscilloscope. The Oscilloscopes 185 are mounted upon or adjacent to the control panel 162 so that an operator stationed at the controls can observe the indications on the oscilloscopes 185 and make the proper adjustments of the control to correct any undesirous deviations in the progress through the mineral veins. For example, if the visual indications ShOW that both the teeth 59' are encountering rock at the uppermost part of their revolution, the obvious interpretation would be that either the machine is climbing within the vein or the vein itself is dipping downward, and in either case the appropriate action would be suitable activation of the power cylinders 152 as hereinbefore described to lower the boring heads 56 and 58 in relation to the frame 84 so that forward progress of the boring heads 56 and 58 would be slightly diverted downwardly to prevent further cutting into the roof 236. Similar indications followed by suitable action on the part of the operator would prevent extensive cutting into the floor 237 in an entirely similar manner. If the indication on the oscilloscope shows that only the boring head 58 is too high, remedial action Would take the form of actuating the lower power cylinder 134 on the side of the machine 12 where the boring head 58 is located so that only the boring head 58 cuts in a slightly downward path correcting what is known as tilt of the frame 84 in relation to the roof 236. The special tooth 59' can also give an indication when one of the boring heads 56 or 58 cuts too closely adjacent to or breaks into a bore 238 in the mineral vein 235 produced on the previous passage of the boring heads through the mineral vein. Such indication depends upon the elastic deformation of the coal in the thin section between the bores produced in two successive passes or upon the absence of coal where a break through has occurred, and such indication will obviously be quite different from that shown when the special tooth 59 is cutting coal rigidly secured in place by surrounding material.

In FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 there is shown a different type of location sensing device, generally indicated at 240, useable with the steerable auger heads or boring heads 58 and 56 of this invention. Five electronic sensing units numbered 242 through 246 inclusive are shown in FIG. 18 secured to different portions of the guide frame structure 84 and each comprising an electronic amplifier 247 (see FIG. 18) and two spaced antennas 248 and 250 emitting and receiving antennas, respectively, for electro-rnagnetic radiation, said antennas being suitably shielded in a manner well known in the art. The sensing units 242 and 244 are a diametrically opposed pair in the vertical plane containing the axis of the drive shaft unit 54 and having their antennas vertically upwardly and vertically downwardly directed, respectively. The sensing units 243 and 245 are a similar pair in a verticle plane containing the axis of drive shaft unit 52 being upwardly and downwardly directed units, respectively. The sensing unit 246 is mounted in the plane of the axes of the two drive shaft units 52 and 54 and has its antenna horizontally directed towards the previously developed bore 238 at substantially the thinnest portion of a coal partition 239 remaining between the bore 238 and a bore 258 in the mineral vein 235 (the bore 258 being the one which the machine positioned as shown in FIG. 17 is actively engaged in producing).

Power supply and signal conducting electrical conductors from each of the sensing units 242 through 246 together with power supply and control conductors hereinbefore described as being part of cable 157 make up a multiple conductor cable 157 (see FIG. 18) mounted in the same manner as the cable 157 of FIG. 1 and are connected through a line connection 160 to the control panel 162 which is in turn connected to a suitable source of power (not shown). The signal carrying conductors from the sensing unit 242 through 246 connect with a suitable signal resolver 252 which is suitably connected by a multiple conductor cable 253 to a display unit 254 such as a multiple screen oscilloscope or other device for displaying the bore position indication received by the antennas 250 as hereinafter described.

In FIG. 17 there is also shown a material depositing means or paint wheel 260 pivotably mounted in brackets 261 which are rigidly secured on a portion of the frame structure 84 opposite to the mounting of the horizontally extending sensing unit 246 and substantially in the plane of the axes of the drive shaft units 52 and 54. The paint Wheel 260 is suitably supplied with a fast drying paint, containing radioactive material, by paint supply means not shown and continuously contacts a portion of the bore 258 farthest removed from the bore 238 to deposit a continuous paint stripe 262 similar to a paint strip 262' shown as having been deposited in the bore 238 along the central part of the partition 239 during previous passage of the boring head 58 in the mining operation which produced the bore 238.

In operation of the sensing device 240 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 a substance which is a good emitter of gamma radiation or neutrons is mounted within the emitter antenna 248 of the sensing units 242 through 245 so that gamma radiation or neutrons are directed upon the portions of the mineral vein most nearly adjacent to the sensing units. Since different rates of back scattering of the gamma radiation or neutrons are assignable to coal or rock, the receiver antennas 250 will receive signals of different strength according to the thickness of the layer of coal between the emitter 248 and the layer or rock upwardly or downwardly adjacent the mineral vein 235. Such signals through the action of the resolver 252 are translated into thickness indications and exhibited in the indicator devices of the display unit 254. In the case of the sensing unit 246 the gamma radiation emitting material may be omitted from the emitter antenna 248 because the signal from the radio active material in the paint stripe 262 received by the antenna 250 of the sensing unit 246 is inversely proportional to the thickness of the partition 239 and is used in the appropriate indicating units of the display 254 to show the thickness of coal remaining in the partition 239 after the boring head 58 has passed. Thus a complete set of bore location indications is available to an operator stationed at the control panel 162 to determine his actions in steering the boring heads 56 and 58 to follow undulations of the vein 235 and to correct any misalignment of the bore 258 within the mineral vein 235.

It is to be appreciated that gamma ray or neutron emission and back scattering as hereinabove described is only one of several means which can be used with the sensing device 240 to give bore location information. For instance, other types of radiation such as radio frequency waves can be applied by the emitter to the coal and rock layers with reflected energy picked up by the receiver antenna 250 giving the desired information. When using a radio frequency emitter the paint stripes 262 and 262' instead of being radio active would consists of tuned elements such as discreet lengths of electrically conductive paint deposited upon the wall of the bore 238 in the same position shown for the stripes 262 and 262 or if necessary could consists of metallic rods of a suitable length to be tuned to the radio frequency radiation hereinabove mentioned. Such metallic rods could take the form of nails driven into the walls of the bores 238 and 258 by an appropriate mechanism (not shown) during successive passes of the boring heads 56 and 58 in forming of the bores 238 and 258.

Instead of the radio active paint stripes 262 and 262 a continuous stripe of electrically conductive paint or electrical conductors (not shown) fastened to the respective Walls of bores 238 and 258 can be used. The electrical conductor in the bore 238, being supplied with an alternating potential serves as a source of electro-magnetic radiation to be picked up by the receiver antenna 250 of the sensing unit 246. It is to be realized that the particular type of radiation or particle emission used is in no sense a limitative feature of this invention.

It should also be appreciated that the placing of the radiation emitting or reflecting means represented hereinbefore by 262'; in bore 238 need not be during the formation of such bore 238. The placing of a radiation emitting or reflecting means in bore 238 can be made when the boring heads 56 and 58 are being retreated from bore 238, or the placing can be made from a suitable source detached from and independent of either boring head 56 and 58.

I have herein provided an improved mining machine with a base and boring heads which are advanced into mineral from the base. The invention provides steering means for guiding the advance of the boring heads through mineral. It provides a boring head steering means utilizing cooperating wedge means between the boring heads and a drill head suport and guide frame whichv advances with the boring heads. Power control means is provided for positioning steering wedges for vertical as well as horizontal steering corrections. It also provides linkage means joining power cylinders which permit vertical or horizontal steering adjustments by selective actuation of the multiple power cylinders in a steering control system in which the power cylinders are common power actuators for both vertical and horizontal steering control axes. I also provide skid means for a boring head frame support with power controlled skid angle positioning means primarily for tilt control of the boring head frame support and the boring head structure. I also provide for bore clearance for boring head steering corrective shifting by mineral overcutting circumferential edge boring head bore teeth. I also provide a mining machine base with walking means for base positioning. I provide a base which is equipped with a frame carrying boring head drive units and boring head shaft extension units for driving and advancing the boring head into mineral. I provide a boring head structure with parallel boring heads and a shaker cutter for cutting a cusp left in the bore by the parallel boring heads as the boring head structure is advanced. I also provide a cam drive means rotatable with a boring head for imparting shaking action to the shaker cusp cutter. I also provide for the shaker cutter to have a metal apron so shaped as to pile mineral dislodged by the boring heads and by the cusp cutter centrally immediately to the rear of the cusp cutter. I also provide a slusher conveying system for conveying material piled by the cusp cutter from the boring head support structure rearwardly beneath the mining base.

In conjunction with the above steerable mining machine of the auger head or boring head type, I have herein provided bore location sensing devices to provide maintainance of a desired distance between the mining machine and a laterally adjacent bore.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, various changes and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A mining head structure comprising: a support; mineral dislodging elements disposed on said support; means for rotating said dislodging elements relative to said support within a mineral vein; guide means located on said suport for varying the path of said dislodging elements within such a mineral vein without interrupting the progress of said dislodging elements into such mineral vein; steering means located on said support for varying the path thereof within the mineral vein; and selectively operable means located on said support for actuating said guide means and said steering means, respectively- 2. A mining head structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mineral dislodging elements can form contiguous bores in a mineral vein; and said steering means includes bore engaging means rearwardly spaced from and bodily movable with said dislodging elements for engaging spaced peripheral portions of such contiguous bores, said bore engaging means including power means which are continually and remotely adjustable for moving selected ones of said bore engaging means so that said dislodging elements may be bodily moved in a vertical plane.

3. A mining head structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said steering means can vary the path of said dislodging elements in horizontal and vertical planes during bodily movement of said dislodging elements into a mineral vein.

4. A mining head structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein a reciprocable cutter means is mounted on said sup-port and is responsive to the dislodging action of said dislodging elements for removing upstanding cusps resulting from the pattern formed in such mineral vein by said dislodging elements; a rearwardly extending camming surface secured tothe rearward surface of said dislodging elements for actuating said cutter means and; an elongated longitudinally extending element having one end thereof in constant contact with said cam'ming surface has the opposite end connected to said cutter means so that reciprocation of said last mentioned element reciprocates said cusp removing cutter means.

5. A mining head structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide means includes skid portions including oppositely disposed inclined surfaces cooperable with respective wedge members; and said selectively operable means includes means connected to said wedge members for moving said wedge members in opposite directions so that said dislodging elements are bodily movable in orthogonal directions in a plane containing said skid portions.

6. A mining head structure as set forth in claim 2 .wherein said guide means includes cooperable pairs of stationary and movable wedge members located in spaced relation; and said continually and remotely adjustable means moves said movable wedge members in opposite directions for effecting corresponding movement of said dislodging elements relative to said guide means.

7. A mining head structure as set forth in claim 1 including an elongated frame being longitudinally rectilinearly bodily movable relative to said support; said dislodging elements are rotatable and overlapping and are mounted on the forward portion of said elongated frame; said means for varying the path of said dislodging elements including a bore engaging frame secured to said elongated frame and being rearwardly adjacent said dislodging elements said bore engaging frame having individually movable cam members cooperating with stationary cam members for adjusting said dislodging elements in a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of said dislodging elements; and said selectively operable means moves said elongated frame and said movable cam members with respect to said support and said bore engaging frame respectively.

8. A mobile mining apparatus comprising a mining head as specified in claim 1 powered by a separate frame structure comprising motor means and extensible cylinder means connected to the mining head structure to rotate the dislodging elements and advance the mining head structure into a mineral vein.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Legg 299-59 Letts 299-55 McCarthy et a1. 299-87 Page et a1. 175-76 Carouthers 299-55 Monaghan et a1. 299-1 12 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1952 Germany. 12/1960 Great Britain.

5 ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examine. 

